Realizations
by idsaveyouinaheartbeat
Summary: Marcel and Rebekah follow through with the idea to trap Klaus in The Garden, and Caroline has no knowledge of that when she goes to New Orleans for him ten years later.
1. Chapter 1

**This technically follows after 1x07 of The Originals, but not immediately after. I tried my best to check spelling and all that, so apologies if there are mistakes. Enjoy.**

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Ten years. It's been ten years since Caroline has been in Mystic Falls. After a year of college not going the way she planned it, she decided to give up on that dream. Especially after all the drama that kept coming their way from all angles. There was so much trouble for everyone it was overwhelming. Doppelgängers, travelers, scorned witches, breakups, dead best friends, and secret societies. But that's just another day in Mystic Falls, right?

After Silas finally got what he wanted and died, everything kind of calmed down after that. He even came through on his promise to bring Bonnie back. It was a happy tearful reunion for everyone. She's pretty sure she saw even Damon shed a tear. Any problems that stuck around after Silas died, Bonnie helped take care of. Even though she didn't think Bonnie should put herself in danger so quickly after coming back to life, she did anyways for Elena's safety.

Caroline loved having her friend back, and everything was how it was supposed to be, but something was missing and she didn't know what it was. After Tyler broke her heart she decided she needed time for herself. She was almost always in a relationship and she wanted to figure who she was without all the drama a relationship brings.

She realized she couldn't do what she wanted to do if she stayed in Mystic Falls. She needed, no wanted to get out of her small hometown. She knew it would be hard, especially after just getting Bonnie back, but it would be worth it. It had to be.

So she packed her stuff, said her goodbyes, and set off to see what the world had to offer. She spent a year or two in one place, then a few in another. She made her way through the states, figuring why not start there before crossing oceans. She did typical tourist things and took typical tourist pictures. She enjoyed herself and found that she was smiling more than she can remember ever smiling.

Once she spent at least a month in each state she ventured out further. She went to places she never even dreamed of going to. Magical, amazing places she never even knew existed. Places that, a part of her remembered a certain hybrid telling her about. But she pushed that thought away, like she always did when thoughts of him snuck their way into her head. She didn't need drama and he had drama written all over him.

Still, something was missing from her travels. It wasn't until years later, when she found herself in Russia that she figured out what was missing. She was wondering around the Hermitage, and remembered that Klaus had said he had a painting here, and no sooner than she thought that, the flood gates opened and she couldn't get her mind off of the hybrid. She wonders how he is, what he's been up to, how things in New Orleans are, if he's even in New Orleans still. The thoughts that come at night while she's trying to sleep are ones she tries to forbid. Ones like –

Does he ever think about her?

Does he miss her?

Has he forgotten about her?

…Has he moved on?

The idea of him moving on makes her heart twitch painfully. She didn't want him to move on, not when she's realizing that he was right about them all along. She missed him, she wanted to hear his voice and see him.

All of these thoughts are what led her to where she is now - sitting in car outside of a fancy mansion that she could totally see Klaus owning, and bossing around minions inside.

After her realization in the Hermitage, she got the hell out of Russia and made her way to New Orleans, hoping to god that she wasn't too late.

So imagine her surprise when she gets up the courage and knocks on the door and it isn't Klaus who answers, but Rebekah, with a look of mixed shock and distaste on her face.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" the blonde original demands.

Caroline ignores the older vampire's obvious displeasure at seeing her, "I'm here to see Klaus, is he here?"

There's a pause, and a flick of emotion on Rebekah's face but it's gone before Caroline could figure out what it was.

"He's not here." and with that, Rebekah goes to slam the door, but Caroline sticks her foot out before it closes.

"Well do you know where he is or when he'll be back?" Caroline asks feeling desperate. This was quickly going south. Rebekah stays silent, trying to kill Caroline with her eyes. Caroline throws her hands out in exasperation, "Seriously! God, is Elijah here? Maybe he'll actually be helpful."

"'Lijah's not here and don't bother wasting your breath, I don't know where he is either. Last I heard from him he was in Paris with that trollop. Now leave New Orleans if you know what's good for you." Rebekah snapped before successfully slamming the door, leaving behind a defeated Caroline.

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Ignoring Rebekah's warning to leave New Orleans, Caroline walks around aimlessly until she finds a cozy little bar, and decides she could use a drink, or a few.

She can't help but feel like something is off. The way Rebekah acted was suspicious. Sure she and her brothers get into fights all the time, but haven't they always stayed together? What could have happened that made her so cold when it came to them? If they left New Orleans, surely she would have gone with them right? And she gathered that Elijah isn't with Klaus, but with a woman, who Rebekah clearly doesn't like, hence Rebekah's lovely nickname for her. That further confuses her because they're all separated. What could have happened?

Caroline slams her empty glass down on the bar. It isn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to come here, surprise Klaus, have a cute reunion, and see the world some more, but with him this time. Now she has no idea what she's going to do. Can't anything ever be easy?

Standing up and making her way to the bathroom, she overhears two women whispering in a nearby room.

"_It's been long enough, this isn't right and you know it." She hears a soft voice say._

"_It's plenty right, he deserved what he got, he was supposed to help us and he didn't. Don't feel bad for someone who has no feelings at all." The other, harsher voice answered._

"_But Klaus was helping us, he was just-"_

"_Why are you defending him? He did nothing but cause chaos here and you know it." The second girl hissed at the first._

"_I just, we're supposed to be the good guys right? How can we sit back and let him rot there? Bad guy or not, it's just not right." She pleaded, trying to make the other girl see where she was coming from._

"_The way I see it, it's just one less evil to deal with." _

And with that Caroline flashed back to her place at the bar, and waited for the girls to leave. The first one who left wore an angry face and she guessed she was the one who thought Klaus got what he deserved. Whatever that was. The other girl said he was rotting somewhere. Was he daggered? Can he be daggered? No, she doesn't think so. So did someone desiccate him? Oh god what if he's been without blood? How long has been wherever he is? Why isn't anyone helping? Why isn't Rebekah? Why did Elijah leave him? What the hell happened?

Caroline was shaken out of her panic when she heard the voice of the other girl telling someone she was leaving. Caroline searched the room until she found her over by the door making her way out. After a few moments Caroline followed her. She waits until she's far enough away from the bar before flashing over, grabbing her and bringing her into a nearby alley.

"Hey! What the hell?" The girl shouts

Hoping she's not on vervain, Caroline grabs the girls chin, and stares into her eyes with dilated pupils, "Tell me everything you know about what happened to Klaus."

Caroline watches in relief as the compulsion kicks in and the girl spills out everything she knows.

"Klaus was trapped in The Garden by Marcel and Rebekah ten years ago for trying to take over the city. Marcel lured him out there and knocked him out and buried him in the walls, like anyone else who breaks his rules." The girl tells her robotically.

"Why hasn't anyone helped him?"

"His sister hates him, his brother fled town after it happened taking the girl Klaus got pregnant with him, and everyone else is loyal to Marcel."

What? Did she hear right? Pregnant? It's been ten years, how has she not known this? Surely word gets out and – stop Caroline! Not the time for freaking out. You have a hybrid to find, and then you can kick his ass.

After more questioning and compelling, she found out where this "Garden" is and is now on her way there while that girl, who she didn't even find out her name, is on her way home with no memory of ever seeing or speaking with her and will from now on drink vervain.

On her way to this garden place she can't help but feel bad for Klaus. Yes, he's done much worse, but both his siblings left him and he's stuck alone, trapped in a wall, with no blood for ten years.

Blood.

Damn! She forgot all about the blood. Obviously he would need blood- he's been bloodless for ten years! Good job Caroline. Now she's got to go find a human for him. Huffing dramatically, she flashes off in search of a human. She easily finds a girl, compels her and sets off back in the direction she came from. Normally she would be against feeding from the vein, and killing humans, but she doesn't have time to find a hospital and get a bunch of blood bags, so her morals will have to be put on hold for the evening.

It took her about an hour to find the garden where he's trapped, and it wasn't a fun hour. The human she had wouldn't stop squirming so she had to knock her out and throw her over her shoulder for the rest of the way.

Upon arriving she noticed that there were two people guarding the entrance to this place. Vampires probably. She sighed, of course this couldn't have been easy. She gently dropped the human to ground, careful not to make any noise and decided to use the element of surprise. She noticed a thick branch on ground next to her, and had an idea. Quietly picking up the stick, she twirled it around in her hand for a moment, praying that she won't miss, and launched the branch into air towards the vampires, landing it directly in one of their chests, right into their heart. She noticed the other vampire run to his friend, and took this as her chance to come up behind him and thrust her hand through his chest and pull out his heart. As she looked at the heart in her hand, she probably would have vomited if she could. Dropping the organ to the ground, she raced back to the human, picked her up and flashed into the garden.

Now, she wasn't expecting daisies and roses, but she wasn't expecting dozens of vampires cemented to the ground and walls with only their heads sticking out, and the occasional hand. What could these people have done? And who is this Marcel guy that puts them here? Whoever he is, he obviously knows this is worse than a quick death. She shivers at the thought of ever meeting this guy.

Walking through, she notices that this prison is big and has turns everywhere, and she could be here all night looking for him. Sighing once more, she hoists her human up and keeps walking, determined to not leave this hell until she finds Klaus.

She's not sure how much time has passed, it could have been mere minutes, it sure felt like hours, but she finally stumbles upon Klaus. And when she sees his face she wants to cry. His face is a sickly grey color and cheeks are sunken in from lack of blood and he looks sad - lonely. It makes her want to cry that much more because he is, everyone he trusted abandoned him.

In that moment, she makes a promise to herself. She won't be like everyone else. She won't leave him, abandon him, and betray him. She'll stay with him as long as he'll have her.

She reaches a hand up to his face and brushes her fingers against his cheek and flinches at how cold his skin is. He was always warm. He's still part werewolf, shouldn't he be warm? Really Caroline? You're thinking about his body temperature right now? Get ahold of yourself.

Shaking her head, she drops her hand and flips around the human, bites into her neck, and places her bleeding neck to Klaus's mouth. A few seconds pass and nothing happens, and she goes to move the girl but feels a tug on her and sees that Klaus started drinking from her. She nearly starts laughing that she was worried he wouldn't drink- of course he would, he's Klaus. She watches, fascinated as he regains color in his face and his head slowly lifts, once again having the strength to hold it up, and finally his eyes pop open.

She gasps and nearly stumbles back at how blue and intense his gaze is. He just stares at her and she wonders why he isn't doing anything, then she realizes that the human is dead on the ground and he still isn't strong enough to break out of his prison.

"Oh! You need more blood, right" She exclaims, and watches curiously as his eyes drift shut and a peaceful look falls on his face. As if he's been waiting years to hear her voice.

She bites into her wrist as she walks closer to him and places it to his mouth. He opens his eyes and looks up at her but doesn't hesitate to drink her blood. She notices with appreciation that he doesn't bite into her, just places his mouth around her wound and sucks gently on it. She briefly wonders how much control it's taking for him to not tear into her flesh right now.

She exhales and closes her eyes and waits for him to finish. As he lets go, the wall around him keeping him trapped starts to crack and crumble to the ground. She steps back and watches on as he flexes his muscles, breaking the cement around him. And seconds later he's free and dusting off remaining dust and rocks off of him.

He walks over to her, places his hand on her arm and says, "Hello Caroline." As his lips curve upward into a soft smile.

She can feel that emptiness that she felt all those years drift away as his voice floats around like music to her ears and she closes her eyes for a moment before beaming up at him, "I've missed you."

The smile he gives her erases any doubts she had and she throws herself at him, wrapping her arms tight around his neck as if she's afraid he's going to disappear before her eyes. She feels his body relax into hers and he moves his head into her neck and inhales deeply and his voice is thick with emotion when says, "I've missed you too love."

She knows that they have things to talk about and he will want his revenge, but right now in this moment, she's just going to enjoy feeling him hold onto her like she's his entire world, and forget the rest because they made it. They're finally together.

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**And that's it. I originally wanted to write Caroline telling Klaus about the things that have happened in the last ten years, both for her and in New Orleans, but I thought this was sweeter ending.**

**Hope you enjoyed it**

**Reviews are always welcome.**

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	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. I wasn't sure if anyone would.**

**I decided to add a second chapter to this since it was requested. I hope you enjoy.**

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After their moment in the Garden Klaus allowed Caroline to lead him to her hotel room so he could get cleaned up. He figured she was buying time before she told him what's happened since he was put in the Garden. He didn't mind that much, he wasn't sure he was ready to know. He was also grateful for the fact the she hasn't tried to make any conversation with him since they left. Normally he would have jumped at the chance to have her near him and talk to her, but he wasn't in the right mind frame for that. All he could think about is how weak and vulnerable he must seem right now. She was the last person he wanted to appear weak in front of. She seemed to understand his discomfort and kept quiet but remained at his side and glanced toward him every so often. That almost brought a smile to his face.

He wondered how much time has passed. When he first woke up and realized where he was he tried with all his strength to break out but it was no use. He couldn't even manage to put a crack in the walls surrounding him. He also tried to keep track of the passing time. He soon learned that with the amount of blood his body wasn't getting, it proved difficult.

He was trapped. He was defeated. He didn't have the upper hand. But he had hope. He held onto the hope that his siblings would seek revenge and come find him. He knew they were upset with him, and rightfully so but he assumed they would come around. They always had before. So he waited for them, and waited, and waited. And soon he realized that they weren't coming, they had given up on him, and with that realization something inside of him broke.

He knew he didn't always treat them the way he should have, but when it counts he's there for them, right? Shouldn't they be there for him to? He guessed he should have expected this. He should have never thought they would be there if need be. He's pushed them away one too many times and now they've abandoned him for good. The only people he had left, the only family he had left were now gone. He was truly alone. He didn't even want to think about what had happened to his child. He wondered if Caroline knew about the baby, if she would think any less of him if she did.

He glanced over at her, suddenly wishing they weren't vampires and could age so he could estimate how long he's been out. It could have been weeks, months, or even years. His stomach flips and turns at the thought of being trapped for years and having no one look for him.

But someone did look for him.

Caroline.

At that thought, he smiles. Whatever happened, maybe, just maybe he'll be okay if he has his blonde angel by his side.

Once they made it to the hotel and after Klaus cleaned and compelled himself a change of clothes, he sat down next to Caroline on the couch in her small hotel room and waited. For her to give him the bad news or for him to think of something to say that would make him feel less vulnerable? He wasn't sure. But his mouth had other ideas and he blurted out the question that had been torturing him, "How long?"

Caroline's head turned to look at him and he noticed that she looked nervous and that wasn't doing anything to calm him.

"Klaus maybe you should have a drink." she suggested.

He almost growled at her subtle way of letting him know he wouldn't like what she was about to say, "Caroline. Just tell me."

"A little over ten years Klaus." she barely whispered.

Klaus felt like someone staked him in the stomach. Ten years. Sure ten years is nothing to a vampire that lives for eternity. Sure that's nothing compared to the amount of time his siblings had been daggered and locked away. But that's ten years of his child's life that he missed, that he won't ever get back. He may not have wanted the child in the beginning but he came around. He was looking forward to having a little boy or girl running around that would love him unconditionally. And now it's too late. He doesn't even know if the child's alive. If he is, does he think he abandoned him? Didn't want him?

During his mild panic he didn't feel Caroline slide down the couch and move next to him, but he did feel her tiny hand grasp his clenched fist, open his hand and cover it with both of hers. He sighed at the feel of her smooth hands rubbing his rough one. He turned his body so they were facing each other and kept his hand in hers.

He stared at her for a minute before taking a deep breath and his voice was low when he said, "Tell me everything you know."

She nodded and started tracing invisible circles on his palm with her thumb as she explained what she knew with a soft voice, "Some guy named Marcel put you in that Garden place for trying to take over his city or whatever," she paused and looked at him hesitantly before saying the next part. "And apparently Rebekah helped him do it."

Klaus figured this is what his siblings felt when they woke up and realized he had daggered them for centuries. Of all the things he's felt in his thousand years, he's never felt a betrayal like this. He and Rebekah were always the closest, inseparable. That's over now. Too much has been said, too much has been done. Maybe in a few centuries he'll be able to forgive her, but right now all he could focus on was the ache in his chest.

"And what of Elijah?" he asked averting his eyes to their hands.

"Rebekah said that the last she heard he was in Paris. He left after, you know, and he took the girl you got pregnant with him." She replied not taking her eyes of him.

Klaus's head shot up and he met her eyes and was surprised by what he found there. He was expecting hate or disgust, but there was none of that. He saw acceptance and understanding. What a magnificent creature she is.

He was about to comment when he realized what she said. Rebekah said?

"You spoke to Rebekah?" he questioned failing to hide the suspicion in his voice.

Caroline rolled her eyes at his paranoia, "Yes, when I showed up at your house hoping you'd be there willing to show me the world. I was quite disappointed honestly."

Klaus's eyebrows rose in surprise and smirk slowly formed on his full lips, "Show you the world huh?" he teased.

Caroline laughed, grateful he seemed to still be himself, "Yes but that's not what's important right now."

He sighed in annoyance knowing she was right but still wanting to bask in the fact that whether she had friendship or romance in mind, she had still shown up at his door.

"Alright, alright continue."

And with that she told him the rest of what happened, watching the emotions flicker across his face at each thing she said before he covered them up. He seemed to be dealing well, but then again he had had a thousand years to perfect that art of bottling up emotions.

"You, Caroline Forbes, Miss Mystic Falls killed two vampires?!" he asked in mock outrage.

She laughed and hit his shoulder playfully, "yes I did, and if I hadn't surely they would have killed me. Besides, I'm not the same vampire that pretended to be human, you know."

"I can see that." he stated smiling proudly.

She smiled back at him before getting serious again, "Klaus, I know this is a lot to take in, and," she paused as she saw him closing up in front of her and wondered what it would take for him to just let go.

"I assure you Caroline, I am fine. I've dealt with centuries of betrayal." He insisted.

"Yeah but not like this. Klaus, I know this is cliché, but it's okay to not be okay. I know this sucks and you don't have to pretend with me that you're some emotionless monster who isn't affected by this." she responded.

Klaus was silent. He was torn between wanting to storm out of there away from all the emotions he was experiencing and wanting to fall into her and give into those feelings.

He felt her shift closer to him and bring her hands up to touch his face and when her delicate fingers traced his cheekbone and her hands cupped the side of his face he felt his eyes fill with unshed tears and he quickly closed them before any could spill.

Caroline saw this happen and she pulled his head forward and nestled it in her neck. She wrapped one arm around his torso and kept the other one on his face. She felt him move his nose rub against her neck and heard his broken intake of breath, and had to stop herself from crying. You would never know that this is the same man that terrorized her hometown. A few moments into the embrace she felt his arm hesitantly wrap around her, one going around her waist and the other coming up her back so his hand could tangle itself in her hair. She tightened her hold on him and sighed contently into his neck.

Klaus, never being one to show weakness, was the one who broke the silence, but not the embrace.

"You know I have to get my revenge right?" he mumbled into her golden hair.

Caroline, who expected this, just hummed and nodded her head.

"You know I'm going to kill them all right?" he mumbled again.

"You can't kill your siblings Klaus." she murmured. Not only would it be terrible for him to kill his siblings, it is actually impossible, well she supposed he could dagger them.

Klaus of course already knew this and sighed, "I know love. But I can kill Marcel."

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Rebekah sat on her bed snuggled into Marcel's chest absently tracing patterns on his chest. Ever since that annoying blonde cheerleader showed up she can't get her mind off of Nik. She was so sure that what she had done was right. That he deserved to know what it felt like to be locked away for decades. She had happily pushed any thoughts of her brother out of her head since it happened. She finally had control over her life. She was in charge. She lived with her drop dead sexy boyfriend and was the new "queen" of the quarter. Being with Marcel certainly had its perks. Not only is the sex fantastic, but instead of people disrespecting her because of Marcel, they now not only respected her but treated her as Marcel's equal. And that was something she never had. She loves her brothers, sometimes, but they always treated her like a little girl, never gave her enough credit, and never had faith in her. Marcel treats her like a queen, and rightfully so.

But now that Caroline had come here out of nowhere looking for Nik, which is shocking considering how much she hated him - but time changes everything she supposed, she can't help but feel as if things were terribly wrong. Nik's gone and Elijah took off taking her almost friend with him. Not counting Marcel, she was alone. She was so used to always having her family and relying on them and look where that got her.

She wants to go see Nik. Maybe give him some blood and talk to him for a while. She knows no matter how much she wants that she can't do it. Going to Nik would mean losing Marcel and even then she couldn't guarantee that Nik wouldn't rip her head off the moment he got the chance. She was doomed either way. And she didn't want to give up her love for her brother. She shouldn't have to.

She sighed into Marcel's chest and he noticed right away it wasn't a peaceful sigh.

"What's wrong Beks?" he asked.

"Nothing, just thinking about how even more messed up my family has become." she replies, leaving out her traitorous thoughts.

Marcel, knowing this conversation could turn bad very quickly, he lifted her chin and met her lips with his – distracting her from her thoughts the only way he knew how.

No sooner did their lips meet, the bedroom door slammed open ruining the moment and shocking the two vampires.

"Well, well, well, isn't this cozy." came the voice neither of them had heard in over a decade.

Rebekah's gasp filled the room and she shot off the bed and cautiously walked closer to her brother, "Nik?! What are you – how are you here?"

Klaus paid no attention to her, keeping his eyes focused solely on the shirtless vampire he used to think of as a son, who had gotten off the bed to stand in front of Rebekah while doing a good job masking his fear.

Klaus laughed, "You didn't really think your silly garden would keep me away forever did you?"

"There's no way after ten years of rotting in there, you got out without any help. My question is, who the hell would help your sorry ass?" Marcel stated bluntly.

Klaus gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at Marcel's comment, he tried to tell himself it wasn't because of the truth behind it, and was because of the lack of fear he was getting out of him.

"Caroline. That bloody bitch." Rebekah muttered under her breath, but was still heard.

"Who?" Marcel asked at the same time Klaus growled.

"Keeping secrets from your lover are you dear sister?" Klaus smiled at Rebekah's frown, "Although I don't think you deserve the title sister. Tell me Rebekah, what ever happened to always and forever? Or have you forgotten completely who has looked out for you and kept you safe for a thousand years?" Klaus spat, his voice getting higher as he spoke.

"What happened to always and forever when you locked each of your siblings in coffins Nik?" Rebekah demanded tearfully.

Klaus rolled his eyes, "Oh Rebekah we've had this conversation before, let us move on to more important subjects, like what I'm going to do with the two of you." he said, his voice changing from angry to chipper.

Marcel who hadn't said much spoke up again, "You can't do anything, you can't dagger Rebekah because we have the daggers, and you can't kill me because then you'll have all the vampires in New Orleans after you." he stated smugly.

"Ah Marcel, you seem to overestimate how much I still care about this city and those who live in it. I don't give a toss about your vampires. I'll kill every last one of them. After, of course I kill you. Fortunately for you I don't have the time nor do I want to waste the effort in torturing you personally, so this will have to do."

Klaus sped behind Rebekah and easily snapped her neck and tossed her to the side. He then flashed to where Marcel was trying to leave and gripped him by the neck.

"Leaving so soon? Just like that you were going to leave and throw Rebekah to the wolves. I should have expected as much, you always have been a coward." Klaus hissed in his ear.

"She'll never forgive you." Marcel managed to say despite the tightening grip Klaus's hand had on his throat.

"You've got it wrong Marcellus – I am the one that won't be forgiving." Klaus said before sinking his teeth into Marcel's neck.

Klaus retracted his fangs from his former friend's neck and roughly dropped him to the ground. He stepped over him and around Rebekah and made his way to the door when Marcel's voice stopped him, "Why don't you be a man and just kill me?"

"Ah Marcel, I thought you would have known me better than that. A quick death is too merciful for you. I could sit here and torture you but I wouldn't want to keep my lady waiting any longer would I?" Klaus smiled at the confusion on Marcel's face. "You see a werewolf bite is the worst way for a vampire to die. Hours and hours of fever and pain and aching and that's before the hallucinations kick in. Who knows what your mind will come up with – maybe you'll even see me again. But even though I don't get the satisfaction of watching the life drain from your pathetic eyes, I get to live on while you wither away in a matter of days knowing that the one person who can put a stop to your misery is the last person that would."

Klaus turned away from him, satisfied with the look of angry helplessness on Marcel's face. As he left the room he said one last farewell, "Happy suffering old friend."

* * *

Caroline waited patiently out front in the car for Klaus to finish his revenge. She knew she could be here for hours and knew he most likely would be covered in blood when he came back, but who was she to judge. She turned up the radio in hopes of drowning out whatever was going on in there, she might not judge, but she certainly didn't want to hear it.

It was about thirty minutes later that Klaus strolled out and flashed himself into the car. She was shocked to say the least when she took in his appearance. He was completely blood free.

"Like what you see love?" he asked as he started up the car.

"There's no blood. Where is all the blood?" she asked completely baffled.

"No blood, just a simple werewolf bite. I'm not completely barbaric you know." he answered with a smirk.

She scoffed and shook her head. This man will never cease to amaze her.

"Enough of that, where to first sweetheart?" he asked curiously.

Caroline shifted in her seat a bit, not sure how he was going to like her answer, "I was kind of thinking maybe we could see Paris, you know shop, eat some French food, and Idon'tknowmaybeseeifElijahistherewithyourkid?" she rambled the last bit out as one word.

Klaus didn't say anything as he pondered her suggestion. She wants to find Elijah and his child. Instead of taking advantage of having him as a tour guide to see places she's never been, she wants to help him find his family. Just the fact that she hasn't even asked anything about his child or who the mother is or anything proves everything he's ever thought about her. She will simply never cease to amaze her.

Before she could take his silence as a bad thing he grabbed her chin, leaned in and kissed her lips for the first time. It wasn't a heated, passion-filled kiss – it was a soft, gentle loving caress. He pulled away before she could even process the fact that he had kissed her. He leaned his forehead on hers, stroked her cheek, and said, "To Paris it is then."

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**There you have it. I probably won't be writing anymore than this. **

**I'm glad you guys have liked this little story, and hope this chapter is to your liking.**

**Again, reviews are lovely. **

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	3. Chapter 3

**Another chapter for you, since there were requests to keep writing and I kept getting ideas for what could happen.**

**I just want to say**** thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited and followed this story, it means a lot.**

**Hope this chapter is up to par.**

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"Are you sure you want to do this?" Caroline hesitantly asked as the car was getting closer to the townhouse.

"I'm sure love. Just as I was the last time you asked." Klaus replied with a smirk.

Caroline sighed, "How can you be so nonchalant about this? You're going to be meeting your kid for the first time."

Klaus's grip tightened on the steering wheel. Does she think he hasn't realized that? That that isn't all he could think about on the way to the airport, and the whole plane ride, and now on the way to the private townhouse they tracked Elijah down in in Paris?

Taking a deep breath he replies, "I am aware of that love. Just as I am aware that the child may not even be here, or he or she doesn't even know I exist and calls noble Elijah "daddy". Hell I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl." His grip on the wheel getting increasingly tighter the more he went on.

Caroline stares at him with sad eyes. For all his talk about being an emotionless big bad hybrid, he cares probably more than anyone. She learned that back in Mystic Falls, whenever he lashed out it wasn't because he's just a monster, it's because he was hurt and betrayed and didn't know how else to deal with those emotions after believing for so long that emotions made you weak. Knowing this didn't make it any easier for her to deal with it. He could be so damn frustrating sometimes. She just wishes that he knew that she won't judge him or see him any differently if he was to open up to her when he needed or wanted to. She didn't judge him after he told her Hayley is the mother of his child when she could clearly see he was waiting for her to, but it was ten years ago, nothing to be upset about now.

Hopefully with time he'll learn that she's not his siblings, she's not looking to change him nor will she judge him for anything he does or feels.

"Wait, you don't know the sex?" Caroline asked surprised.

"No. I was encased in cement remember?" Klaus said bitterly.

She rolled her eyes, "Yes but you were there for some of the pregnancy, I just figured that you or Hayley would have wanted to find out," she pauses for a moment wondering if he'd answer her next question, "did-did you ever think about if you wanted a boy or a girl?" She watches his face for any reaction while she waits for his answer.

Klaus glances over at Caroline's face and sees that she's trying to hide how much she wants him to answer by attempting to control her expressions. Turning back to the road he shakes his head and chuckles under his breath. She's adorable when she's trying to play innocent.

Just as Caroline's about to give up on hoping he'll open up to her about this, he starts talking.

"In the beginning I was too preoccupied with everything going on with Marcel to even care about the fact that I was going to be a father. It wasn't until I found out that Hayley had purchased wolfsbane to terminate the pregnancy that I actually wanted the child."

Caroline gasped, "She was going to kill it? Without telling anybody? Without talking to you, the father?" Caroline asked appalled. How could someone do that?

Klaus smiled without humor, "Yes, I nearly choked her to death when she admitted that. That was when I knew for sure I would never see her as anything more than an incubator. Not that I had ever thought of being involved with her, but you know Elijah and his big dreams of finally being a family," He scoffed at that, some family they are.

"Anyways, after that I thought it wouldn't be so bad to have a son. To have someone to love unconditionally and to get the same in return. To prove to myself that I am nothing like Mikael. To love and treat my son the way Mikael never did with me." Klaus paused as unwanted tears began to gather in his eyes, he took a breath and blinked them away before continuing. "But a witch told Hayley that she believed the baby was a girl and I remembered what Rebekah was like as a baby and I couldn't but smile at the possibility of having a girl." His small smile he got while talking turned into a frown as a dark cloud hung over his head while he thought about his sister.

Caroline, who had been quiet during his story saw the turn this was about to take and decided to steer him away from thoughts of his sister's betrayal.

"So it's probably a girl, well, with your genes she'll grow up to be a heartbreaker." She teased with a smile.

Klaus was grateful for the change in conversation, although he didn't want to think about his potential daughter dating, but the idea of her breaking hearts makes him smile. Looking over at Caroline, he still can't believe that she's doing this with him. Removing one hand from the steering wheel, he grabs her hand into his and gently rubs that back of her hand with his thumb causing her teasing smile to turn into a loving one.

"Do you know what you're going to say or do when we get there?" she inquired softly.

"Not a clue, but with you by my side I think I'll be okay." He replies honestly.

The two smile at each other as they pull into the driveway of Elijah's abode.

* * *

Klaus and Caroline walked towards the large front door hand in hand both experiencing similar emotions course through them. Caroline was an equal amount of excited and apprehensive. On the one hand she was excited to meet Klaus's child, to see how much he or she looked like him and what mannerisms of his they have. But on the other hand, she wasn't so excited to see Hayley. The two never really got along, and she's a bit nervous that Hayley's dislike for her will make the child dislike her too. How can she be with Klaus if his child doesn't like her? Meanwhile Klaus is buzzing with anxiety about facing Elijah. Part of him wants to dagger him for leaving him to rot and not helping him but another part is grateful he got his child out of there. His child. Klaus isn't afraid of many things, but seeing his child after all these years and not knowing if said child is even alive or even knows anything of him scares the hell out of him.

As if they sensed each other's nerves, they squeezed the others hand at the same time, and smiled at each other when they realized what they'd done. The two walked up the few steps and Klaus raised the hand that wasn't grasping Caroline's, and knocked.

After a few moments Caroline could feel her stomach slowly dropping when she thought no one was here, but then the door opened revealing a shocked and slightly underdressed Elijah. Instead of his usual clean cut suit, he was clothed in a somewhat wrinkled white t shirt and plaid pajama bottoms.

"Hello brother, what's it been, ten years?" Klaus asked with narrowed eyes, when Elijah couldn't get over his shock to speak.

"Niklaus." Elijah breathed.

"You going to invite us in or just stare at us brother?" Klaus asked in a slightly teasing voice.

At his words Elijah seemed to snap out if shock at seeing Klaus and realize that he didn't come alone, "Miss Forbes, a pleasure to see you again, please do come in, both of you."

Caroline smiled at him, "Call me Caroline."

Elijah returned the smile and nodded and led them through the spacious house and into the living room.

While Klaus is used to living like this Caroline is not. Every step further she took into the house – which really can't be called a house, it's more like a castle – she kept turning and spinning taking in every detail of it. The high ceilings, the marble floors, the spiral staircases, the incredible artwork that adorned the walls, the intricately carved woodwork that lined the top and bottom of the walls, and the gorgeous chandelier that hung above her. She knew they had things to do and talk about, but she couldn't help but get caught up in this beautiful home and she has a feeling it would take days to examine every detail of it. A soft chuckle brought her back to reality and she looked over and found both Klaus and Elijah standing by a rather large sofa staring at her. She quickly closed her mouth after realizing her jaw was practically on the floor. Klaus had a small smile on his face and amusement dancing in his eyes and Elijah was watching her curiously with a lifted brow.

Caroline felt her cheeks warm and forced herself to not look down at her feet, "Your home is very beautiful."

"Thank you Caroline." Elijah smiled politely at her.

Caroline joined them by the sofa and they all took a seat. Klaus and Caroline were sitting comfortably next to each other while Elijah seated himself in an armchair across from the sofa.

They all sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while, no one knowing where to start until Elijah broke said silence.

"I hope Rebekah came to her senses and that is how you are here Niklaus." He said with hope laced in his voice.

Klaus scoffed, "Don't tell me you left me for dead all these years because you were waiting for Rebekah to change to her mind and betray her beloved Marcel? Are you that naive brother?"

"You were hardly left for dead, not only can you not be killed, but Rebekah would never kill you. She simply wanted you to pay for your sins, so to speak." Elijah replied in a matter-of-fact voice, sighing at his brother's dramatics.

"Pay for my sins? So you were in on it too? What happened to all that talk about finally being a family?" Klaus asked, voice cold trying to cover up the hurt and anger bubbling inside of him at the thought of Elijah helping Rebekah and Marcel.

Elijah looked particularly offended at this accusation, "You honestly believe I would help and encourage this behavior in Rebekah? I did not have any part in what happened to you, in fact I tried to stop it but it seems Rebekah takes after you in more ways that I thought."

This confused Klaus, "What are you talking about Elijah?"

"When I went to her to stop her from carrying on with her plan, she tried to sway me to see it her way and help, but after failing she informed that she had your daggers and if I tried to stop her she wouldn't hesitate to use one on me." Elijah explained, half ashamed and half deeply hurt at Rebekah's words and actions.

That shocked both Klaus and Caroline. Rebekah never was quiet about how she felt about being daggered and her brother's betrayals so to hear that she would threaten Elijah, of all people, is truly unexpected.

Elijah took Klaus's silence as a chance to continue explaining his side of what happened, "At first I didn't believe that she would follow through with it, but after really looking at her, I barely recognized her as our sister. I fear that Marcel is influencing her in a destructive way. I left after that. I took Hayley and came here. I have taken safety precautions to ensure that she and the baby were safe should someone come after either of them. I may have failed you the past ten years, but I have been making up for that by ensuring the safety of your child." Elijah finished, a look of love entering his eyes as he speaks of the child.

Elijah's last few statements grabbed Klaus's attention, "And what of Hayley and the baby? Are they alive? Where are they?" he asked as his cool and calm mask dropped.

Elijah smiled, "Your child is perfectly fine Niklaus. Not a hair has been harmed on his head."

Klaus's eyes widened, "His?" he whispered.

That made Elijah's smile widen, "Yes Niklaus, you have a son."

So many emotions flowed through Klaus at Elijah's words. A son, he has a son. He was expecting a girl, but he's a relieved that the witch was wrong. He doesn't know a thing about what little girls like. Granted, he doesn't know anything about boys either but he can see himself playing sports with him or maybe teaching him how to draw. Along with his excitement, is fear. The only father he knew wasn't actually his father, nor was a he good one. Far from it. If the only father figure he had was terrible how was he supposed to be a good one? Maybe it's best if his child knows Elijah as his father.

"What about Hayley?" He hears Caroline ask.

Elijah looks over at her and the love that was in his eyes shifted to something akin to melancholy.

"I am regretful to inform that Hayley passed after giving birth." He answered her question in a quiet voice.

"Oh my god." Caroline breathed.

Sadness washed over Caroline. She never liked Hayley, but her child is now without his mother. She spent nine months carrying a baby and died before she could spend any time with him.

Klaus saw Caroline getting upset over this and while he couldn't understand it, he thought it would be best to try and steer the conversation elsewhere.

"So Elijah what is my son's name?" Klaus inquired with an easy smirk.

"Ah yes his name, well seeing as you weren't around I took the liberty and named him after father." Elijah explained.

Caroline's eyes flickered to meet Elijah's, she doesn't know every detail of what went on between Klaus and Mikael but she knows enough to know that Klaus would never want his kid to be named after him, and beside her she felt Klaus stiffen and his smirk dropped.

"You did what?" Klaus demanded in a low voice.

Elijah suddenly started to laugh and said, "Relax Niklaus do you really think I am foolish enough to do so? I just thought I'd try and lighten the mood with some humor."

"Humor doesn't become you brother." Klaus replied. His brother's words didn't do much to put him at ease, but his body did start to relax as Caroline placed her hand on his leg and softly traced her thumb over the fabric of his jeans.

Elijah noticed the effect Caroline has on her brother and he smiles to himself, it's about time Klaus has some happiness in his life.

"His name is Henry. I thought it was a nice modern version of Henrik." Elijah stated.

Klaus smiled. Henry. Now he'll have a bit of his little brother with him with his son.

"Thank you Elijah." Klaus said gratefully.

Elijah smiled back but asked in a serious voice, "Now would you like explain to me how it is that you are here if not because of Rebekah?"

"Ah that would be because of lovely Caroline here." Klaus replied while smiling at her.

Caroline blushed under his gaze.

Elijah's eyebrows raised, "Miss Forbes? I was under the impression that you disliked Niklaus."

Caroline shifted in her seat, not quite comfortable now that all eyes are on her.

"Yeah I did. Back when he was terrorizing everyone in Mystic Falls." She answered after clearing her throat.

Elijah tilted his head to the side, "So what changed? As far as I know you've had no contact with him while he was in New Orleans and up until recently he was incapacitated. So how is it that you go from hating him to coming to his rescue?" Elijah wondered out loud.

Klaus saw what Elijah was trying to do. He wanted to make sure Caroline is here because she wants to be, not because her friends put her up to it. To make sure she isn't lying or hiding something. He's being a good brother, but Klaus can't help but feel annoyed. He finally has Caroline with him, he can touch and kiss and hold her when pleases and he does not need Elijah offending her and scaring her off. He was about to defend her when she spoke up.

"Well after college didn't work how I planned I left and did some traveling. I spent a lot of time alone and for the first time in what seemed like forever, I wasn't worrying about everyone but myself, and soon enough I realized that I missed him. It took a while for me to get the courage to go to New Orleans considering it had been a long time but I wish I went sooner, maybe he wouldn't have been stuck in that creepy place for so long." Caroline confessed, feeling a tug at her heart when she thinks of Klaus alone and scared for ten years in that place.

Klaus felt touched that wished she could have saved him sooner. He wished that too but it's not her fault, she had no way of knowing what was going on.

"It's okay sweetheart, I was pleasantly surprised that your face was the first I saw in ten years." He said with a teasing smile.

She looked up at him and smiled while bringing one hand up to his face and he raised an eyebrow and watched her curiously as she brought her pointer finger to one of his dimples and gently poked it. His eyes showed surprise at what she did, and he grasped her hand in his and placed a kiss on top of it.

A sudden clearing of a throat pulled the two out of their moment and they saw Elijah staring intently at them. Caroline blushed furiously, embarrassed that for a moment she forgot they weren't alone. Klaus narrowed his eyes at his brother, not pleased with him ruining their moment. While Elijah smiled again, noticing the changes in Klaus that this girl brings out.

* * *

The three of them continued to discuss the specifics of what happened. Caroline and Klaus explained how Caroline found him, got him out without getting herself killed, and how they found where Elijah was. Elijah also explained further about what he's done to keep Henry safe and to Klaus's relief he clarified that he's explained to Henry who his father is and gave a brief explanation of why he wasn't around. But Klaus was still curious about one thing.

"So where is Henr-" his question was cut off by the sound of a door opening and closing and footsteps getting louder as they got closer.

"'Lijah why didn't you wake me…" the question trailing off at the end as a young boy who strolled into the room in his pajamas noticed there was company.

The three adults in the room stood up at his entrance. Caroline looked back and forth between the boy and Klaus taking in the similarities and also the differences. While Klaus stared in awe at the young child in front of him; he had light brown hair that had slight curls to it, blue eyes, lips just like Klaus's, and was wearing Spiderman pajamas. He seemed to taking in the man standing in front of him as well.

While the two studied each other Elijah walked to the boy and introduced them, "Henry this is Niklaus and Caroline."

"Niklaus?" Henry's eyes widened with hope as he searched his uncle's face for any sign of a lie. When he found none he turned his attention back to Klaus, "Dad?" he asked not moving from his spot or taking his eyes off Klaus.

Klaus stood there not knowing how to respond. The answer is obvious but he feels like he's in shock. This is real and this is happening. His son is standing in front of him for the first time in ten years. And he's calling him dad. He barely registers that he nods his head in response to Henry's question.

Caroline watches with happy tears in her eyes as Henry beams a big toothy smile at Klaus and runs over to him, giving Klaus just enough time crouch down to catch Henry as he launches himself at him.

Henry wraps his arms tightly around his father's neck and Klaus carefully wraps his around his son's tiny torso for the first time.

"I told 'Lijah you would come for me." Henry whispered to Klaus but everyone in the room heard.

Klaus squeezed his eyes closed and it was all he could do to stop himself from crying.

Caroline was wiping a few tears that escaped her eyes while Elijah was smiling at the two of them with all the love in the world.

Slowly the two separated but Klaus stayed crouched to Henry's level, "I'm sorry I haven't been around Henry." He tried to make his voice steady but his words came out barely above a whisper.

"I forgive you dad, 'Lijah's been good and its okay 'cause you're here now and… you're staying right?" Henry asked staring into his father's eyes the hope clear as day in his eyes.

Klaus stared at him for a minute before he glanced over at Caroline, who smiled and ever so slightly nodded her head and he returned the smile. Turning back to Henry, still smiling, he gently grabbed his hands in his and said three words that made his son's face light up in the most precious way

"Yeah, we're staying."

* * *

**Okay so_ now_ I seriously think this is the end... maybe.**

**Apologizes for any grammar & spelling mistakes.**

**Reviews are appreciated.**

**(:**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, I keep saying it's the end and then I keep changing my mind and adding another chapter. -_-**

**So here's the next chapter.**

**I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

_**Back in New Orleans**_

Rebekah awoke with a gasp and her hand immediately flew to her neck. Her mind was foggy as she tried to recall what happened. Then she remembered that Klaus showed up and she can only assume all hell broke loose after he snapped her neck. Panic flooded her when she thought of Marcel and she was up off the floor searching the room for her lover before she could even start to think about the endless possibilities of what Klaus could have done to him. She finds him on the floor leaning up against the door that leads to the adjoining bathroom. At first she thinks maybe, just maybe her brother took pity on her – on them and let them be, but then she sees the blood on his neck and she doesn't even need to see the bite mark to know what happened.

Of course Niklaus wouldn't just kill him, no that would be too kind of him. He has to bloody torture him without actually being here! And there's no question as to why he didn't do any worse to her. He wants her to suffer, to watch the man she loves die slowly and painfully, knowing there isn't a thing she can do to help except kill him to end his suffering.

Blinking back tears she makes her way over to him and settles down next to him on the floor. "Marcel, I am so sorry he did this to you." She whispers.

He doesn't look at her as he chuckles humorlessly, "I'm guessing you didn't take any of his blood, when we put him down, in case something like this happened did you?"

Rebekah isn't sure if it's the fact that he's trying to make her feel stupid, when he didn't think to get some of his blood either, or if it's the accusing tone of his voice that upsets her. "No I didn't Marcel. I didn't think we would need it! You ran the wolves out of town so there was no need. I had no idea Klaus would get out and bite you." She nearly shouts, unable to keep the anger out of her voice.

Marcel scoffed but then started coughing and groaned in pain. "Yeah… I'm sure 'Bekah." He managed to say in between groaning and trying to move into a position that didn't make his entire body ache in pain.

Rebekah's eyes widened in disbelief as they quickly filled with hurt. "You think I set this up?" she breathed out not believing what he was implying.

"How else did he get out then, huh? Certainly wasn't me or one of my men. That only leaves you." He narrowed his eyes accusingly at her.

Rebekah shook her head, "After all this time, after all I did you still don't trust me. You honestly believe that I would betray my brother for you, and then betray you?" She asked incredulously as she ran a hand through her hair, trying to grasp what the hell was happening. After all they had been through together it hurt like a stake to the heart that he was saying these things to her, accusing her, and blaming this situation on her.

And he decided to twist the stake while he was at it, "You always were fickle."

A gasp left her lips and she stared at the man she thought loved her. She wants to tell herself that it's the poison in his veins making him say these things and that he doesn't mean it, but she doesn't want to make excuses for him. No matter how much it hurts.

She flashes out of the house ignoring the urge to snap his neck or rip his heart out. There was no way she is giving him any kind of relief to his pain when there's no relief for the pain residing in her chest.

Amongst all the hurt she felt at Marcel's words was guilt. She hadn't freed Klaus, but when she saw him standing in front of her for the first time in years, she felt relieved. She had been thinking about freeing him, she missed him but she didn't want to betray Marcel. She deserved to be happy. She deserved to be able to have a normal relationship without her brother sabotaging it. She thought it was healthy that for once she didn't put Nik before everyone and everything. She just wished the person she put first had done the same for her.

While Marcel might have enjoyed being with her, even had feelings for her, he didn't love her. He proved as much with what he said to her while he was dying. She never noticed it before but he wanted her for the power he had when he was with her. He never would have gotten the upper hand on Klaus if it wasn't for her. Subconsciously maybe she always knew this but never paid any mind to it until now.

Sorrow and regret fills her entire being as she realizes she never should have gone against her brother. She knows more than anyone that he doesn't take betrayal lightly so she also knows that it will be a very long time before he forgives her – _if_ he forgives her. But she has to try, she needs to fix this.

She takes out her phone from her pocket and dials Elijah's number in the hopes that he's heard from Klaus. She's disappointed when he doesn't answer, and that's when she remembers the things she said to him.

Oh God.

She threatened to dagger Elijah.

She falls to the ground as sobs wrack her body. What has she done? She's alienated the only two people who have always been there for her no matter what.

_Always and Forever._

She's always known that she's a monster, but she's never before felt more like one than she does right now.

* * *

**In Paris**

Hours later Klaus, Caroline, Elijah and Henry all find themselves in a spacious play room filled with various toys and books, because of Henry's excitement to show his dad all of the "cool stuff" Elijah got him. He nearly dragged Klaus out of the sitting room and upstairs by his hand. He didn't even bother to change out of his pajamas. Elijah on the other hand opted to change out of his informal sleepwear and into his ever present suit.

Klaus was eager to spend time with Henry and was overwhelmed that he seemed to be on the same page as well. Klaus was thankful that Caroline didn't seem to mind as Henry also dragged her around the room to show her his toys. He watched as she listened to and laughed with his son as he ranted on and on about his planes and cars and action figures, and he doesn't think he's loved her more than he does in this moment. Warmth spreads through his body at the sight of Caroline and Henry getting along. His happy moment was burst when Elijah's phone started ringing. It wasn't the ringing per say that ruined the moment no; it was the look on Elijah's face when he ignored the call.

"Is Rebekah calling to beg for forgiveness already?" Klaus asked with a cruel smirk on his face.

"How did you–" Elijah begins to ask when Klaus cuts him off.

"It was quite obvious by the way you tried and failed to keep the pathetic mixture of hope and disappointment from your face." Klaus explained.

Elijah sighed and shook his head, "She's our sister Niklaus."

Klaus's face immediately hardened and his voice grew cold, "Correction Elijah, she is your sister."

Caroline watched the two go back and forth and was thankful that Henry was too absorbed in his toys to notice his father and uncle about to bite each other's heads off. Regardless of that, she didn't want to take the chance of him realizing what was going on given how angry and violent Klaus can get with the right provocation. And she wasn't going to let Henry's first impression of his father be of him attacking Elijah.

Scooting closer to Henry she leaned over to him and grabbed his attention, "Hey Henry, you must be hungry what do you say you and I go find something to eat while your dad and Elijah talk?" She asked smiling sweetly at the smile the boy gave her at the mention of food.

"Only if we have pancakes." He replied with a cheeky smile.

She laughed, he's definitely Klaus's kid, "I think that's doable." She said as they both got up from the floor. She wasn't sure if she should go ahead, or wait for him but he decided for her as he grabbed her hand and started for the door.

Elijah and Klaus who had quieted down when they heard Caroline talking to Henry smiled gratefully at her as she looked over her shoulder on her way out of the room.

Once the two were gone and they could hear Caroline rummaging through the kitchen they started talking again.

"You would honestly banish Rebekah from your life completely for... for giving you a taste of your own medicine?" Elijah asked appalled at what his family has become.

Klaus laughed incredulously, "A taste of my own medicine? Everything I did, I did to keep her safe. Everything!" Klaus said, his voice getting louder as he goes on. "I can assure you Elijah that what she did to me, what she helped Marcel do to me certainly wasn't for my own good."

Elijah's face didn't waver at the volume of his brother's voice, "Perhaps not, but maybe she wanted to teach you a lesson. To show you what it's like to feel betrayal from someone you thought you could trust."

Klaus scoffed at his brother's foolishness. "Oh please Elijah! All she was doing was throwing a tantrum, as usual when things don't go her way. She was foolish and blinded by the so called love Marcel claimed he felt for her that she turned on her own brothers." He shook his head, now scoffing at his sister's foolishness. "He told her what she wanted to hear to get her to do what he wanted, and little naïve Rebekah fell for it. She always does." He sneered.

Elijah sighed; sometimes there was no getting through to Klaus. "She made a mistake. Maybe now she sees that." He tried.

Klaus's eyes widened in disbelief at Elijah's words, "A mistake?! I was trapped in bloody cement for ten years and you call that a mistake? What she did was unforgivable Elijah! How can you not see that?" He fumed.

"Maybe it is you Niklaus who cannot see. You've kept her daggered in a box for much longer than a decade and she's forgiven you so why is it that you do not want to forgive her?" Elijah inquired, hopeful that he'll get to the real problem that he assumes Klaus didn't want to talk about. And Klaus didn't disappoint.

"Because she didn't have a son!" He bellowed. "She kept me in that forsaken place for a decade knowing that each year I spent there was another year of my child's life that I wasn't there for. I don't what it feels like to hold my newborn son in my arms for the first time and I never will. I wasn't there for any of his firsts. I wasn't there for the first nine years of his life and I'll never get those years back and I have our darling _sister _to thank for that." He finished with glistening eyes, in a quieter tone, spitting the word sister like physically hurt him to say.

Elijah stared at his brother, his chest tightening at his confession. Wasn't this what he always wanted? Hasn't he always wanted his brother to show emotion, to care about something other than power and blood? Yes, but not like this. He never wanted his brother to be this broken. And he doesn't think he can feel any guiltier that he hadn't tried harder to help him.

"Maybe she didn't know how much the child meant to you then." Elijah offered, simultaneously trying to help Rebekah's case and ease his brother's wrath.

Klaus shook his head, suddenly feeling less angry and more tired. "She knew Elijah. She knew that even though I fought it at first, I was coming around – I came around. She saw the moment I realized that I wanted the child. She was just too caught up in Marcel's quest for power to care." He spoke tiredly. Every moment since Caroline found him has been incredibly exhausting.

The two of them stood in silence replaying parts of their conversation in their heads, both wondering if this is what effectively tore them apart, before Klaus broke the silence.

"_If_ I decide to forgive Rebekah it will be done on my terms and my terms alone. Do you understand me Elijah?" Klaus demanded.

Elijah simply nodded.

Klaus nodded back, satisfied that he didn't make a big fuss and try to force his hand. "Great, now let's see how they're doing with those pancakes." With that he strode out of the room, following the pleasant scent emanating from the kitchen.

Elijah shook his head and followed his brother to the kitchen.

* * *

**Meanwhile in the kitchen**

Once Caroline and Henry made it to the kitchen Caroline immediately started searching through cabinets and the refrigerator looking for the pancake ingredients while Henry plopped himself into a chair at the island in the center of the room.

Caroline couldn't help but admire the kitchen, much like she did with the other parts of the house that she's seen so far. The room had high ceilings and large windows, allowing the room to be significantly brighter than the other rooms. The color scheme is very elegant; white, black, and shiny steel. The cabinets, counter top, island, chairs and table are all white with black touches here and there. The refrigerator and appliances are made of steel so fancy that she can she almost see her reflection in them. There are hanging light fixtures over the island and table, and there are small built in lights on the underneath of the cabinets that add an extra light to the counter space. And since the kitchen is on the bottom floor of this crazy mansion, there are two wide glass doors to the right of the table, leading out to a beautiful garden.

Upon further inspection she noticed that the fridge and cabinets are fully stocked with so much food she thinks half of it will expire before it gets eaten. She takes her time looking through the different fruits, meats, vegetables, yogurts, water, soda, snacks, bread, cereals, granola bars, and various baking and cooking ingredients such as flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda, and an array of spices and seasonings.

Caroline, having always been a closeted chef – her mother was never home to do the cooking – feels like she stepped into heaven. She's not a master at the art, but she can make a good enough meal and some desserts here and there. She noticed a handful of fancy recipe books as she was placing her ingredients on the island and made a mental note to look at that them at a later time.

Henry's eager voice snapped her out of her musings, "Can I help?" and he was looking at her with such big excited eyes that she couldn't do anything but smile and nod at him.

The two of them had a nice thing going. Caroline would measure out the appropriate amounts of each ingredient and Henry would follow her instructions and combine and mix them all together. He eased right into it without a problem making her wonder if he had done this with Elijah often.

"You're a natural at this, do you Elijah cook together?" She voiced her curiosity.

Henry didn't look up from his task of mixing together the final ingredients when he answered, "Yupp," he replied nodding, "We usually make breakfast together 'cause it's easier, and he makes lunch and dinner." He explained.

"Ah, and what's your favorite breakfast?" she asked even though she had a feeling she already knew.

He looked up at her with a toothy smile, "Pancakes!"

She chuckled at his enthusiasm for the food and took the finished batter and moved over to the stove to start making them. "So what kind of pancakes do you want?" she asked.

He pursed his lips and titled his head in thought. "Chocolate chip, but 'Lijah likes blueberry. Can we make him some of those?" he asked.

"Sure." She smiled as she gathered the chocolate chips and blueberries. "I'm not sure what Klaus likes, so I'll make some plain ones just in case okay?"

Henry nodded, and then suddenly fidgeted and looked down at his hands.

Caroline noticed this, "Hey what's wrong?" she walked over to him and placed her hand on his arm.

He looked up at her with such a sad face that it makes him look much younger than nine years old. "What if he doesn't like our pancakes?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"I am sure he will love them just because you made them." She assured the worried boy.

He lowered his head and nodded, "Okay but… but what if he doesn't like me?" he voiced his fear finally looking back at Caroline, and her heart clenched when she saw the tears in his eyes.

She moved to sit in the seat next to him and scooted close enough to pull him into a hug. "Hey don't think for one second that your dad didn't fall in love with you the moment he saw you." She told him in a soft voice but still held enough certainty to it. She found it was a bit odd referring to Klaus as a dad though.

He snuggled closer to her and sniffled, "But why wasn't he here before?"

She sighed a little, this poor kid she thought. "He had a lot going on but I can promise you it killed him to not be able to be here with you." She pulled back just enough to look at his face. "Okay?" and she smiled when he nodded and wiped his tears.

"Can you tell me about him?" he asked her in an innocent voice.

She nodded. "I can do that. But we're going to have to talk and cook at the same time. Those pancakes aren't going to cook themselves." She smiled and ruffled his hair when she walked past him to the stove.

"So what do you want to know?" She asked as she started flipping the pancakes.

And she told him everything he wanted to know about his dad. How they met, how they became friends, what he's like, what he likes to do in his spare time, things like that. She of course bent each story a bit to work around the supernatural stuff but stayed as honest as possible. And she may have exaggerated a few things a bit – like the stories of Klaus saving her all those times – to make him seem like a superhero. Because come on, what kid doesn't think their dad is a superhero? She's sure he would have thought that all on his own, but given the boy's insecurities earlier she wanted to make sure she did what she could to paint Klaus in a good light. Henry even further proved to be Klaus's son when he cheekily asked if she loved his dad, which she skillfully got out of answering.

Suddenly Henry jumped down from his spot on the counter – he relocated from his seat at the island when he got enthralled in her story – and gasped, "I have an idea!" he beamed at her.

She once again found herself smiling at this little boy, "Oh yeah, what's that?" she asked teasingly.

"We can make dad a big breakfast with bacon and fruits and eggs to show him how glad I am that he's here!" he exclaimed as his eyes got wider and practically glowed with excitement.

"I think that's a wonderful idea." She said and as she watched him skip over to the fridge to get his desired foods, she started thinking that Klaus might not be the only one falling in love with this boy.

Again the two of them found their groove and started on making the bacon and eggs, along with the rest of the pancakes. Caroline had suggested they listen to some music and Henry happily obliged. Once they were satisfied with their plethora of food Caroline noticed that they had made quite the mess. So she opted to clean up the mess and Henry offered to start setting the table and when she finished cleaning she helped him finish up as well. And as they were putting the finishing touches on the table Klaus strode into the room with Elijah not too far behind.

Klaus and Elijah's eyes widened and jaws dropped when they looked the table. There were four plates set, each accompanied by a glass, napkins, and utensils. And in the center of the table there were three stacks of pancakes, each a different kind. Next to those was a hefty pile of crispy bacon that had Klaus's mouth watering. Next to that was a bowl of scrambled eggs. He noticed there was water and orange juice set on the table, as well as salt, pepper, powdered sugar, butter, syrup, and cut up slices of just about every fruit he could name.

He couldn't even believe that Caroline and his son made all this food. He didn't think he had been arguing with Elijah for that long, but judging by the time he guessed it took to make all of this and clean up the mess, he must have been up there a while. He felt bad about leaving Caroline to entertain his kid while he threw a temper tantrum – as he imagined she would call it. Although he was bubbling with curiosity about what they had talked about all that time.

Elijah was the first to say something, "I must say this all looks delicious." He praised while eying the blueberry pancakes.

Klaus nodded his agreement, "What's the occasion?" he asked curiously, wondering what made them go from pancakes to all this.

Caroline looked to Henry, encouraging him to tell Klaus. Henry shifted on his feet and shyly looked at his dad, "You are. I wanted to show you how happy I am that you're finally here."

Klaus's heart swelled at his son's confession and he couldn't help but wonder what he had done to deserve him.

"Caroline helped too! I mean she did most of it." Henry added after his father didn't say anything.

Klaus shook himself out of the moment he was having and walked over to Henry and picked him up and squeezed him into a hug. Henry smiled and his wrapped around his dad's neck. "I'm happy I'm here too. Let's eat shall we?" he asked as he moved his hands to Henry's sides and gently tickled him, delighting in the laughter that erupted from his son.

They four seated themselves at the table – Henry and Klaus next to each other and Caroline and Elijah across from them – and started filling their plates. But instead of Klaus filling his own he decided to fill Henry's for him while asking what he wanted.

"Chocolate chip pancakes! They're my favorite!" He happily informed his dad.

Klaus did accordingly and hummed. "That's interesting."

Henry looked at him curiously, "What's interesting?" he asked.

Klaus smiled at his son, "Those are my favorite too."

Both Caroline and Elijah were powerless to the smiles on their faces while watching Henry's little face light up with a wide grin in unadulterated joy.

* * *

**Voila, there ya have it. Did you like it?**

**As always I apologize for any spelling and grammar mistakes I missed.**

**I originally was only writing this as one shot so I don't have the story planned out and I don't really know where to go from here. **

**There's not really any dramatics or angst in this story. So far it's been mostly fluff and sweetness.**

**With that said I'm open to suggestions, although I know I don't want to write Rebekah getting revenge on Klaus by using Caroline. I feel like that happens in every story and is over used.**

**So review if you please and I hope you all had a swell holiday**

**(:**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am pleased that there are people out there who enjoy this story and wish for me to continue it.**

**So here's the next chapter**

**I hope it doesn't suck.**

**Enjoy.**

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The days following the family breakfast - well family plus Caroline - went by in a blur of productivity. Klaus hadn't missed an opportunity to get to know Henry and for Henry to know him. And Henry didn't disappoint, he has practically been glued to Klaus's hip since he found out they favored the same pancakes. And they quickly realized that that wasn't the only thing they had in common.

Klaus learned that Henry also likes to draw and paint. Klaus had found one of his sketchbooks and Henry was quick to snatch it out of his hands before he even opened it, afraid his dad would laugh at his hobby, but his fears diminished when Klaus told him he has sketchbook upon sketchbook in each house he owns. Klaus and Henry also shared the common interest of sports - much to Caroline's surprise. The two had frequently gone out in the yard, sometimes even to the nearest park and they'd play catch with a football or hit a baseball back and forth - something Klaus wished Kol was still around to do with his nephew - they'd even kick around a soccer ball.

They even have the same mannerisms; they both tap their fingers when they get impatient, they both scrunch up their noses adorably at things they don't like, both their accents - which Caroline noticed Henry's was more like Elijah's having grown up around him but the more time he spends with Klaus the more his accent sounds like his - get thicker when they're talking passionately about something, and they both throw tantrums when angry and pout when they don't get their way.

Henry learned that unlike Elijah, his dad was much more relaxed and had more patience when it came to playing with him. He loves Elijah but he never plays enough with him, he mostly just supervised his playing. His dad on the other hand indulges in all his little games and adventures, which Henry thinks is just the coolest thing.

All in all, the two were inseparable.

While Klaus and Henry were getting to know each other, that left Caroline alone or to bond with Elijah. She was so incredibly happy for Klaus and glad that he was making up for lost time with his son, but if she was being honest she wished she saw more of him. By the time she woke up in the morning he was off somewhere with Henry, or planning something for Henry and then is gone throughout the day, and at the end of the day he's too tired to do anything after putting Henry to bed.

Caroline and Klaus haven't really had time to talk about them as a couple since they arrived to Paris. It's obvious she has feelings for him; at least she believes it is. And she's knows he had feelings for her in the past and she hoped they were still there, but she's starting to think maybe they're not on the same page. This isn't really what she pictured when she finally admitted her feelings. She thought that when she came to him after ten years it would be happy, exciting, and romantic. She knows he has a son now and _family above all_ and she's being selfish, but she misses him. She sees him here and there throughout the day, but he barely has the time to stop and greet her. She's lonely, and that is why she frequently seeks out Elijah for company.

Spending time with Elijah wasn't planned - it was an accident. An accident that slowly became a habit for the two of them.

The first time Caroline had an actual conversation with Elijah was a day that she had been particularly bored. Klaus and Henry were off on one of their adventures and she was almost pulling her hair out - she was that bored. She ventured into the kitchen for some blood - which they had in a box on the highest shelf of the fridge where Henry can't reach - and the cookbooks she had saw her first day here caught her eye. After warming up her blood and grabbing the cookbooks she sat herself down on the floor. She didn't know why she chose the floor to sit instead of at the table, but that's where she was - sitting on the floor between the counter and the kitchen island with her back leaning up against the latter. So if someone was to look into the kitchen she wouldn't be visible.

Which is what happened to Elijah, he had no idea that she was there when he came strolling into the kitchen for something to eat. He had made his way past the fridge and was almost at the counter when he noticed her. He wasn't expecting her to be there and was so surprised that he stumbled back a bit and let out a noise that Caroline thought was "so un-Elijah like." It had taken her a few minutes to get her laughter under control, and he even gave a few chuckles. Though she supposes it was because of her inability to stop laughing that made him chuckle rather than her scaring him. They had made polite chit chat that turned into a full blown conversation about cooking and favorite recipes and dishes to cook. Caroline was quite impressed with his knowledge, but what else did she expect from someone who's lived a thousand years?

Soon enough Caroline and Elijah would end up spending most of their time in the kitchen together creating delicious meals. Elijah had more experience so he would lend a helping hand to Caroline when she needed it. Once she found her footing and didn't turn to him for help every step of the way she suggested a friendly competition. A cook off. He accepted and he won. She didn't give up though - Caroline Forbes does not give up. She practiced and practiced and it was a victory she was quite proud of when she finally out-cooked him.

Their friendship grew and they were comfortable around each other, which isn't something she thought she would be able to say about the eldest original. It wasn't always cooking with them though. They often sat in the living room and watched films while they ate their masterpieces. She realized that there's much more to the always proper vampire when he surprised her by taking off his suit jacket, rolling up his sleeves and sitting on the couch with his feet propped on the coffee table while eating his meal. She was pretty sure he jaw was on the floor. She had never seem him so relaxed - so human looking. She enjoyed it far more than when he's tense and proper. These originals are always on the defense, she mused.

They also often spent time in the library. She loved reading and there was just about every book imaginable in there. And it turns out that he's read the majority of them at least four times. It was almost is if they started a book club of sorts. He would recommend books to her and when she finished reading them he encouraged her to discuss them. At first she was a little hesitant to share her thoughts with him - afraid he would judge her or think she was stupid when she couldn't quite grasp something - but he was very gentlemanly about it and would patiently wait for her to get all her thoughts into words and explain things to her when she got confused.

Eventually she started recommending books for him to read, but instead of the old novels and literary classics she picked out a few modern books and some that she had read for fun when she was human. She even added the Twilight series just to watch his face as he read it, and he didn't disappoint, if she recalls correctly he had called the series and writer a "disgrace to the entire vampire race and if she wanted to depict a vampire correctly she should have done some proper research." She was quite amused at how disturbed and upset he was over the books. It got even better when she told him the books were made into movies, his eyes got wide and he simply said "no" before storming out of the library hearing her laughter drift out of the room after him.

The library is where he finds her today. She's sitting in the window seat with an unread book in her lap staring at nothing in particular. She's so lost in her thoughts that she doesn't hear him come in the room, nor does she hear him call her name. It's only when he lightly places his hand on her shoulder that she is shaken out of her thoughts.

She looks up at him to see his eyes filled with concern, "Are you alright Caroline?" he asks, ever the polite one.

She shakes her head, "Yeah sorry, I was just thinking." She answers with a smile.

He nods and sits down on the couch by the fireplace and motions for her to join him, "You seemed troubled, would you like to talk about it?" he asks once she sits next to him.

She takes a minute to wonder if it's weird to talk about her feelings for Klaus with his brother. She's not sure if that would make him uncomfortable or not. But they're friends, and friends talk about things like this.

She shifts on the couch so her body's sideways facing him, "Sure, but I'm not really sure where to begin." She states.

He lifts and eyebrow, "Maybe try the beginning." He teases.

She rolls her eyes, but smiles "Ha ha. Very funny." She drops her smile and is hesitant, "It's about Klaus."

Elijah shifts his position to match hers and rests his elbow on the back of the couch and leans his head in his palm. "I assumed as much." He replies.

"You did?" She asks surprised.

"Yes well, I saw the way you too were with each other when you first got here, and I presume that you are saddened by the lack of time you've spent with Niklaus lately." He explains.

Caroline's sure her face is quite comical at this point. "How could you possible know that?" she asks him, a little amazed at his ability to read her.

He shrugs with a small smile on his face, "I have acquired the skill of reading people and being aware of ones feelings over the centuries." He tells her.

She nods and purses her lips. "If you know how I feel about him barely being here, then why doesn't he?" she asks, sadness lacing her voice.

His face softens, "Perhaps he isn't quite aware of your feelings for him, so he assumes you wouldn't mind his absence?" he tries even though he knows his brother has to be aware of her feelings given what she has done for him.

She scoffs, "Please, I saved him from that creepy garden where he probably would have spent decades rotting in, I helped him find you and Henry, and I've been nothing but helpful and supportive." She ranted, "Maybe he just doesn't feel that way about me anymore." She finished quietly, looking down at her hands.

"I can assure you that is not the case-" he began but was cut off.

"You can't know that! I get that he wants to get to know Henry but what about me? Is it selfish that I wish he would spend time with me? Or pay attention to me like he used to?" She asked looking at Elijah with tear filled eyes as if he had all the answers.

He took her hands in his and his heart went out to the poor girl. "Listen to me Caroline. I have seen the way he looks at you when you're not looking. He looks at you as if you're his entire world and that was just a few days ago. I have never seen my brother look at anyone like that before – not even when we were human. You're special to him and I don't think he's foolish enough to let you go, especially when you reciprocate those feelings." He spoke with sincerity and kind eyes that held something akin to regret in them.

She was touched by all the he just said to her, but she can't help but feel that he might be talking from experience. "You sound like you're speaking from experience." She commented.

He cleared his throat and looked away from her, removing his hand from hers in the process, "Yes well I once had someone in my life that I looked at the way Niklaus looks at you." He looks back at her and she can see the regret and sorrow in eyes clearly now. "But I won't bore you with the details." He assured.

"No no I want to know. Come on Elijah I just cried to you about your brother, now it's your turn." She jumped up on the couch so her legs were folded underneath her. "Come on please, your secret will be safe with me." She promised with a smile, giving him the puppy dog eyes.

He sighed and rubbed his chin with his hand. "I feel sorry for Niklaus should he ever try to deny you something. Look at him with those eyes and he'll bend to your will every time." He said with a chuckle.

She beamed at him, happy that he was going to tell her about his epic love.

"Alright well, I gather that you're aware of my past with Katerina?" he asks.

She nods, "Yupp… well I know what Elena's told me. You knew her when she was human, fell in love, she ran away from Klaus and he's been after her since and you guys were getting together in secret around the time the whole cure thing was going on." She informed him.

He nods his head in affirmation of her words, "Yes, that's right. After the cure had been passed on to Silas, I foolishly rejected her and left her and went to New Orleans with Niklaus, instead of being with the woman I love. I've regretted it ever since." He admitted.

"So you still love her?" she asked totally enthralled by his story, even if it is about the bitch who killed her.

He looked at her as if she offended him, "Of course I still love her. I will always love my Katerina." His cheeks flush when he realizes he called her "my Katerina."

Caroline smiles sweetly at him, "So why haven't you gone after her?" she softly asks.

He shakes head, "Two reasons; I rejected her, she's not just going to fall into my arms if I find her and even if she did there is always the problem of my brother. He will never accept her therefore I can never truly be happy with her." He answers sadly.

"I think you just need to woo her – show her how much you care and how much you regret not staying with her. She may be a manipulative bitch, no offense, but she's still a girl. And girls love to be romanced and swept off their feet. She'll play hard to get but just show her you're not going anywhere." She tells him with a smile. "And as for Klaus, well he's an ass and you just have to make him see that she makes you happy and if he gets to be happy with me – if he still wants me that is – then why can't you?" she explains.

He looks at her for a minute before laughing under his breath, "You are something else aren't you? I see why Niklaus is so taken with you." He tells her.

Caroline blushes and tucks her hair behind her ear.

"So tell me what Katherine was like as a human." She asked with a cheeky smile.

* * *

Caroline and Elijah were in the library laughing hysterically at the stories they were telling each other. After Elijah told her about human Katherine, she asked what he and his siblings were like as humans. He told her embarrassing stories about his sibling and even himself. He told her about the mischief Kol would get into and how he'd tease Rebekah. Caroline loved the stories about Klaus – they made her wish she had been alive back then to see him human for herself. Caroline also shared some stories, mostly just embarrassing ones about her and her friends and pranks they pulled on each other.

They were so busy laughing and trying to catch their breath even though they technically didn't need it, that they didn't hear the two sets of footsteps – one faster than the other – approaching the library.

The door burst open and Henry came barreling through the room waving colorful cotton candy in his hands, "'Lijah 'Lijah! Caroline! Look what we brought you!" He ran over to them and handed them each the colorful sugary treat.

"Thank you Henry, that was very sweet of you." Elijah said, his eyes still twinkling with laughter.

Henry looked at his uncle curiously, "What were you guys laughing about?" he asked.

"Yes, do tell us what was so hilarious." Came Klaus's voice from the door way.

Caroline startled at his voice, she had been preoccupied with Henry and her cotton candy she didn't hear him come in the room at all, and when she looked at him she took in the hard look on his face and his clenched fists. She swallowed and was about to look away when she noticed something else. His eyes seemed to be discretely looking at the small space between her and Elijah and that was when she noticed what the look in his eyes was.

He wasn't angry as she first thought.

He was jealous.

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**Oooo Klausy is jealous (;**

**I hope this wasn't too bad, and I hope I got all the spelling & grammar errors.**

**Leave a review if you enjoyed it, or even if you didn't & maybe suggest an idea for the next chapter.**

**I appreciate them.**

**(:**


	6. Chapter 6

**I know this story hasn't had as much Klaus and Caroline moments as desired, so I hope this chapter gives you some good ole Klaroline feels. (;**

**Enjoy.**

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Elijah saw the look on Klaus's face and knew he misread the closeness between himself and Caroline. He also knows of his brother's temper and decided to remove himself from the situation, along with Henry and let Caroline have this much needed discussion with Niklaus.

Standing up Elijah cleared his throat, "Henry why don't we go fix some dinner and you can tell me about your day." He suggested.

The boy in question looked at each adult in the room for a moment and then smiled at his uncle and nodded, "Okay! What are we having for dinner? Do we have any chicken? I want chicken, I really hope we have chicken." He rambled as he bounced out of the room with Elijah following, shaking his head but with a smile on his face.

Once the two were out of hearing distance, Klaus shut the door and made his way to the fireplace and stood with his back towards Caroline.

Neither said anything and a tense silence engulfed the room.

Suddenly Klaus laughed and shook his head. It took Caroline a few seconds to realize that there was no humor in his laugh, and she braced herself for whatever it was that he was about to say.

"I never pegged you as someone to lead people on and toy with brothers – I guess your doppelgänger friend rubbed off on you." He stated, back still facing her.

Caroline's jaw dropped and she felt the sting of his words. Of all the things she thought he would say that was not one of them. He sees her getting along and laughing with his brother so he insults her because what? He's jealous? He didn't even ask her what was going on, he just assumed she was a slut and was trying to get into Elijah's bed? How dare he? She feels the anger build in her but what's worse is the sinking feeling as she realizes this is the first thing he's said to her since their first day here. But she buries that and focusses on the anger; he has no right to speak to her this way.

"Excuse me? I'm the one leading people on?" she demands incredulously as she stands up.

Finally he turns around and narrows his eyes at her, "What is that supposed to mean?"

She scoffs, "It means that you're the one who always spoke about showing me the world and spent all your time wooing me and I came to you, and instead of all the wooing and romance, I spend all my time alone – or with Elijah since he's the only other person here – because you're never around." She glared at him.

Klaus's face softened at her words, but he's still defensive at seeing her so close to his brother. Caroline is_ his_ and he will not let Elijah take what is his. History will not repeat itself, not with her. Pushing away those thoughts he turns his attention back to her words, "I have a son Caroline, I'm trying-"

"To make up for lost time, I get it." She cut him off. "But I _never _see you and… it feels like you… I just… if…" she sighed and ran her hand through her hair, "if you don't feel that way about me anymore just please tell me and I'll go." She told him, feeling just as tired and sad as she looks.

Klaus's heart clenched at her words and the look in her eyes. How could she think he doesn't have feeling for her anymore? Of course he does. He doesn't think there will be a time when he won't have feelings for her. And he doesn't want there to be. He's never felt the things he's feeling because of her in his life.

Centuries ago he believed love to be a weakness – something that vampires didn't need, shouldn't want, and couldn't feel. He believed that if he gave into emotions, especially love, he would be seen as weak and vulnerable and he couldn't have that. He believed this so unequivocally because he had never experienced it. He didn't know what love was until he met Caroline. Granted, he doesn't know what it feels like to be loved by her, but he knows what it's like to be so deeply in love with her and it's something he would never trade.

If he had known what love is back then, he would have known that it's only a weakness if you let it be.

Klaus makes his way over to her and closes the distance between them by gently grabbing her face in his hands. "How could you possibly think that Caroline? That I don't care for you anymore?" His voice was soft yet harsh at the same time as he demanded answers from her.

She closed her eyes the minute his hands cradled her face – taking as much pleasure as she could from his touch, truly believing it might be her last chance to be this close to him. Her eyes fluttered open when he spoke and she hated the insecurities that she was showing him. He was never supposed to see her like this. She felt so much like her human self – who she had sworn she would never be again. And yet, here she is. A guy she likes isn't paying attention to her 24/7 so she gets paranoid and insecure and clingy. She makes a mental note to scold herself later for that.

She stares up at him for a moment, debating on how honest she should be with him. She's already probably freaked him out by now so there's really no point in sugarcoating anything now.

"Because even though you're spending time with Henry there is still time when you're not with him and even then you still don't want to spend it with me." She saw that he was going to say something, but she shook her head and kept talking. "I'm not always that girl you described, I'm not always strong and brave and full of light. Sometimes I'm clingy and needy and so insecure that since we got here I've waited for you, at the end of each day I sat in that dull guest room and waited for you to come in to see me, to talk to me, to tell me about your day, anything… and you never did. So instead of spending the night in your arms like I wanted, I cried myself to sleep. And you don't have to tell me – I know that's pathetic." She paused for a moment to sniffle and wipe some of the traitorous tears that have been flowing down her cheeks. "I hate myself for wishing you were spending time with me instead of your son. But I figured when you truly care about someone you make time to be with them, and… and you weren't so…" she trailed off with a sad smile.

Klaus didn't know where to begin identifying the storm of emotions that were twisting and turning inside of him. He didn't know she felt this way. He thought that when she was ready to truly be with him she would come to him. That's why he gave her space. Being here with him and actually being with him are two different things. He didn't want to assume that since she saved him and came with him to find his son that that meant she was in love with him. He was willing to be patient and wait for her to be absolutely sure and come to him, no matter how much he wanted to barge into her room and make her his in every way that he – unbeknownst to her – is hers. He had no idea what he was doing to her by doing that.

He nearly lost it when he saw that sad smile on her face that made her look so heartbreakingly broken. Sucking in a breath he tugged on her shoulders and held her tightly to his chest.

"I'm so sorry Caroline. I wanted to give you space to let you decide what you wanted, if I had known how you felt obviously I wouldn't have done that." He whispered to her while stroking her hair with one hand and gripping onto her with the other.

Caroline relaxed into his embrace and was comforted by his scent that was so uniquely Klaus and she never wanted to let go. But reluctantly she did pull away from the embrace just enough to see his face.

She gazed at him with a shy look in her eyes, "So do you still want me even now that you know I'm not the girl you thought I was?" she asked bracing herself for the letdown.

He sighed and moved her closer to him to rest his forehead against hers. "Of course I do Caroline." He spoke in a loving voice. "And you may think you're not strong but I beg to differ sweetheart. You were so gut-wrenchingly open and honest with me just now, even though you were expecting rejection and instead of admitting how jealous seeing you that close to my brother made me, I lashed out at you like a coward." He mumbled to her as his hands found hers.

She sighed and titled her head upwards so her nose nudged his, "You have no idea how scared I was that you were going to tell me that you were over me and that I should leave." She admitted.

One of his hands wound itself into her golden locks and he gazed at her with nothing but love in his eyes. "Caroline, listen to me. I love you and I can assure you that there is nothing in this entire bloody world that can change that." He hadn't planned on telling her that. Klaus being his stubborn self wasn't going to say those words until he knew for sure that she would say it back. But right now Caroline is such a far cry from the feisty blonde that didn't take his crap – not that how she's feeling is a bad thing, he just figures since he caused her to feel like this then he has to put her needs before his this time.

Caroline's eyes slightly widened in wonder and her eyes filled with tears. He loves her. After ten years of not seeing her – or anyone for that matter – he still wants her. _Her. _The girl who no one picked. The girl who never failed to be the second choice. He loved her and she finally felt like she found what she had been missing all those years as a human she spent wondering why she was never the one.

Because those guys she was after weren't the right ones.

They weren't _the one._

And crazy as it may be given his past and all the times she turned him down – she truly believes that Klaus is it.

He's her epic forever love.

And holy shit, she loves him too.

She only wished she had realized all of this sooner.

She suddenly realized that he just declared his undying love for her and she hasn't said anything back. Not wanting him to think that it's unrequited she grabs his face in her hands – mirroring the gesture he did to her moments ago – and brings his face to hers, crashing her lips onto his.

Klaus is surprised but doesn't hesitate for a minute. His arms wrap around her waist and one hand slides up her back and tangles into her hair, while her hands caress his neck and tug on his curls eliciting a small groan from him.

This kiss is nothing like the gentle peck the shared on the way here, this kiss is different from any other she's had before. In the past her boyfriends had either been sweet, but lacking passion or rough and lacking love. Klaus seems to have mastered the art of kissing, she muses. He's so passionate and rough, like he's trying to pour his feelings into her, and at the same time he's taking his time as if he's trying to savor this moment as much as he can.

And she's giving it as good as she gets it.

Kissing Klaus just might become her new favorite hobby.

Klaus's hands seem to be everywhere at once, exploring her body and she gasps as his hands grab her ass pulling her further against him, and he takes that as his opportunity to invade her mouth with his tongue. As their tongues get acquainted Klaus slowly moves backwards bringing them onto the couch with Caroline straddling him – their hips comfortably pressed together.

Klaus's lips move away from hers and he leaves a trail of wet kisses along her jaw and down her throat where he pauses to suck on her pulse point. As his lips are working their magic on her neck Caroline alternates between gripping onto his shoulders and running her nails across his scalp – which judging by the groan that slips from his mouth he enjoys. Klaus suddenly nipped on a sensitive spot where her shoulder meets her neck and her hips bucked against his and she let out a breathy moan and grabbed his head to bring him into a heated kiss.

The next few moments were full of lips smacking, tongues battling, hips grinding and moans of each other's names.

Their heads snapped up when they heard a knock on the door. They stared at each other for a moment, trying to calm their breathing before Caroline reluctantly climbed off of Klaus and patted down her hair to make herself look presentable as Klaus went to answer the door, grumbling as he did so.

Klaus opened the door fully prepared to yell at Elijah for interrupting his enjoyable moment with his girl, but his anger and annoyance vanished when he saw that it was Henry at the door, looking up at him with a smile and innocent eyes.

"Dad dinner's ready." He said, rocking impatiently on his feet.

Klaus smiled at son, "Alright, we'll be there in a moment."

Henry looked past his dad at Caroline, who smiled, and then nodded and ran back into the kitchen to inform Elijah they'd be there soon.

Caroline walked over to Klaus and hesitated a moment before slipping her hand into his, intertwining their fingers, "Let's go eat." She told him with a smile.

Klaus kissed her forehead and led her out of the library to the kitchen, and he started to think that the smile on his face might be permanent.

* * *

Caroline was lying on her bed staring up at the ceiling – which she has been doing for the past hour. Dinner was done and over with, Elijah made some grilled chicken – Henry nearly swallowed his whole plate of food at once, apparently the boy loves his chicken – with a few different side dishes and Caroline enjoyed it immensely. Though that may have something to do with Klaus, who sat next to her and every few moments would hold her hand in his or rub and grab at her thigh. She's pretty sure that Elijah guessed what happened in the library after he left – or what was about to happen – by the looks he would throw her way and they never failed to make her blush.

After dinner Elijah went off to his room and Klaus went to tuck in Henry and Caroline made her way to her room, hoping that Klaus would come see her once he was done with Henry. Though she was severely disappointed. With her enhanced hearing she was able to tell when he left Henry's room and went to his own. Which is where he has been since and Caroline's been trying to figure out why he didn't come to her. Hadn't she just told him earlier that she had hoped he came to her at night? Had she done something wrong?

Sighing, she lifts herself off the bed and makes her way out of her room. As she walks around the hallway she hopes her memory serves her and she doesn't end up in the wrong room. Spotting his room she walks to the door and opens and closes it behind her as quietly as she can. When she turns around she sees that his room is much better decorated than the one she has. As she takes in her surroundings she notices Klaus on the bed. Stepping closer she realizes he is asleep. Quietly pattering over to the bed, she takes in his sleeping form.

Immediately she's very aware of the fact that he is shirtless and his pajama bottoms hang fairly low on his delicious hips. He's lying on his back with one leg slightly bent at the knee, an arm at his side and the other draped over his stomach. His face looks relaxed and peaceful, and clear of any stress or worries. It makes him look a lot younger than he is, she muses.

Sitting down on the bed she brings a hand to his face and gently traces from his temple down to his jaw. He shifts in his sleep, making her pause, but he doesn't wake so she continues her exploration. She traces her thumb along his luscious lips that are dark enough to make you think he might be wearing lipstick. A giggle slips past her lips as she pictures Klaus putting on lipstick, causing him to wake.

"Mmm, what are you doing Caroline?" His voice is low from just waking up and she feels a tingle shoot through her at the sound of it.

"You didn't come see me, so I came to you." She answered as her hand dropped from his face and rested near his collarbones.

He looks at her with sleepy eyes, "I'm sorry love, I was going to come see you but I sat for a moment and I must have fallen asleep." He explained.

She nods, "It's okay." Her fingers start traces invisible patterns on his chest. "Do you mind if I join you?" she asks, looking at him with puppy dog eyes.

He chuckles and uses her arm to pull her to him, causing her to fall on top of him. "What do you think sweetheart?"

She smiles and situates herself so she's lying next to him with one leg nestled between his and her head resting comfortably on his chest. His arm wraps itself around her waist and his other hand holds onto her hand that's resting next to her head.

She sighs contently, "Can I ask you something?" she murmurs.

"Of course."

"How come your room is all fancy and mine is dull?" she asks, truly wondering why she got stuck with the dull room.

She feels his chest rumble as he laughs, "Seriously love, are you really that upset about your room's decor?" he asks as if it's a silly thing to be upset about.

She huffs, "Yes! It's a bland off white color and it lacks pizzazz and personality and – what are you laughing at?" she demands, lifting her head to look up at him.

"Pizzazz?" he repeats, chuckling and his eyes twinkling with humor.

She narrows hers at him, "Yes pizzazz. You'd think you originals would have some decent style. I think I'm going to have to do some redecorating." She mumbles, already planning what the room will look like.

Klaus shakes his head, "Ah sweetheart I don't think I can allow that." He informs her.

Her face scrunches in confusion, "Why not?" she asks in a childlike voice.

He looks at her a bit nervously before answering, "Because I was thinking you won't need the room if you stay in this room, with me."

Her face lights up a bit at his words, "So basically… you like, want me to move in with you." She clarifies as her lips begin to twitch upward.

He raises an eyebrow, "Technically you already live with me," she gives him a look, "but yes, I would like it if you stayed in my room instead of that ghastly guestroom." He said, slightly dramatic at the end, teasing her for her distaste of the room.

She tries to glare at him for it but she's bubbling with happiness that being in his room, she won't have to wait and hope that he'll come see her because he'll already be with her.

"I'd love that." She tells him, kissing his lips before snuggling back into his chest.

Klaus places a kiss on her head, "Goodnight sweetheart." He says softly and she doesn't reply so he assumes she already fell asleep but then he hears her sleepy response.

"Night, I love you."

It's as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders and Klaus doesn't think anything will ever compare to what it feels like hearing Caroline say those three words to him.

"I love you too sweetheart." He whispers back.

For the first time in a while, both Klaus and Caroline fall asleep with a smile on their faces.

* * *

**There we have it folks, hope this chapter pleases you.**

**Apologizes for spelling and grammar mistakes, I swear I go back and reread chapters after publishing them and a bunch of mistakes just appear out of nowhere.**

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**They help a lot and let me know if people are actually interested in having more chapters.**

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**Thank you lovely readers who enjoy this story.**

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